Loss knocks softball team out of World Series

EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Senior Stacy
Nuveman tags out Oklahoma’s Kelly Braitsch in the first
inning of UCLA’s only win at the College World Series.

By Michael Sneag
Daily Bruin Reporter
[email protected]

Funny how just two losses over a span of three days can
determine the success of a season.

After advancing to the World Series winning the Pac-10 title and
earning the No. 1 seed, the UCLA softball team had a disappointing
weekend in Oklahoma, finishing with their worst showing ever and
unable to make it to their fourth straight championship game.

The team finished with a 55-9 record, including a sizzling 18-3
in Pac-10 play, especially when you consider that they started out
1-3 against the toughest conference in the country.

However, at UCLA, success is measured by the nine championship
banners on the outfield wall and this year’s squad was
especially excited about adding a 10th.

They entered the World Series as the No. 1 seed, but lost to
Florida State in the opener, the first time that has ever happened
to a No. 1 seed. They did regroup to knock out Oklahoma, before
losing 2-1 to Arizona State and ending their season.

“We entered this week expecting to go all the way,”
senior Stacey Nuveman explained after the loss. “With our
championship experience we didn’t expect to lose our first
game. It hurts to go out anytime you go out as a loser. It
doesn’t matter if it’s the first game or the last game
of the series.”

Instead the five Bruin seniors ““ Nuveman, Amanda Freed,
Crissy Buck, Erin Rahn and Casey Hiraiwa ““ ended their
careers with the defeat to ASU, leaving tears and disappointment,
and the rest of the squad was forced to start thinking about next
year.

Head coach Sue Enquist, who had preached defense and consistency
as the keys to success the whole season, had to be disappointed
with the way her team was eliminated but was still pleased with the
effort.

“I’m proud of them,” Enquist said.
“It’s just disappointing, especially for our seniors,
that there will not be another opportunity.”

EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Monique
Mejia dives to take a hit away from Arizona State in the
second inning, but UCLA could not avoid a season-ending 2-1 loss to
the ASU Sundevils.

The defense was definitely an issue for this year’s squad.
Committing five errors in the three games in Oklahoma and 67 for
the season, the team was plagued by defensive lapses all year. UCLA
was able to overcome these errors with a superior offense and the
best one-two pitching duo in the country, that of Freed and
sophomore Keira Goerl.

On the positive side, the Bruins were able to overcome a tough
1-3 start in the Pac-10 and end the regular season on a 17-game win
streak.

Individually, the Bruins were honored with accolades and awards
aplenty. Nuveman and junior Natasha Watley were recently named as
two of the three finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player
of the Year, to be awarded June 7.

Nuveman ended her Bruin career with the NCAA records for career
home runs (90) and slugging percentage (.945). She also hit .529
for the year.

Watley had an incredible year herself, adding 39 steals to her
UCLA career record while batting .485 and playing spectacular
defense at shortstop.

Five Bruins were also named to the All-American squad ““
Nuveman, Watley, Freed, Goerl and sophomore Claire Sua.

Freed ended her career with 97 wins, passing B’Ann Burns
for the all-time mark at UCLA, while Goerl had a breakout year,
going 32-5 with a 0.48 ERA.

However, despite all the gaudy numbers and impressive
recognition, the thing that matters most to the team are the
numbers in the win and loss columns.

Not to say they are just a machine gunning for wins, but they
know that they are part of the rich tradition of Bruin softball and
that ultimately championship banners are the goal for the
program.

Luckily, for the talent-rich Bruins, there is always next year
““ a reality given the past success of the storied
program.